Watchmen as Literature: A Critical Study of the Graphic Novel
Watchmen has been hailed as the quintessential graphic novel and has spawned a body of literary criticism since its 1986 initial appearance in installments. This work explores the graphic novel’s reception in both popular and scholarly arenas and how the conceptual relationship between images and words affects the reading experience. Other topics include heroism as a stereotype, the …
James Kakalios explores the scientific plausibility of the powers and feats of the most famous superheroes — and discovers that in many cases the comic writers got their science surprisingly right. Along the way he provides an engaging and witty commentary while introducing the lay reader to both classic and cutting-edge concepts in physics, including: What Superman’s strength …
Along with Batman, Spider-Man, and Superman, the Joker stands out as one of the most recognizable comics characters in popular culture. While there has been a great deal of scholarly attention on superheroes, very little has been done to understand supervillains. This is the first academic work to provide a comprehensive study of this villain, illustrating why the …
Go beyond the cape and into the mind of the Man of Steel, in time for release of Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel movie and Superman’s 75th anniversary He has thrilled millions for 75 years, with a legacy that transcends national, cultural, and generational borders, but is there more to the Man of Steel than just your average …
The American Comic Book Chronicles continues its ambitious series of full-color hardcovers, where TwoMorrows’ top authors document every decade of comic book history from the 1940s to today! Jason Sacks and Keith Dallas coordinate this volume on the 1970s, covering all the pivotal moments and behind-the-scenes details of the emerging Bronze Age of comics! You’ll get a year-by-year …
Unnatural Talent: Creating, Printing and Selling Your Comic in the Digital Age
The journey from being a “no name” artist to finding your voice in the world of comics has always been a mystery—especially in the Internet age. While the publishing industry struggles to adapt to the rapidly changing digital world, independent artists now have the ability to build a successful and lucrative brand completely on their own with a …
This third volume in the new Modern Masters series spotlights the artist Bruce Timm’s career, with his most comprehensive interview to date, discussing his influences, how his style evolved, and what it takes to succeed in both comics and animation. It also showcases page after page of rare and unseen artwork, including a gallery of his best commissioned …
The first global history of comics around the world from the late 1960s to the present day Comics, manga, bandes dessinées, fumetti, tebeo, historietas… no matter the name, they have been a powerful medium across four continents for decades. This is the history of comics around the world from the late 1960s to the dawn of the 21st …
X-Men: The Characters and Their Universe tells the story of this unique band of comic book heroes from their creation in 1963 by the dream team of writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, through their late 1970s re-emergence as a platform for socially and politically relevant storytelling, and up to the present as one of the globe’s …
Superman on the Couch: What Superheroes Really Tell Us about Ourselves and Our Society
Why are so many of the superhero myths tied up with loss, often violent, of parents or parental figures? What is the significance of the dual identity? What makes some superhuman figures “good” and others “evil”? Why are so many of the prime superheroes white and male? How has the superhero evolved over the course of the 20th …